India's shift to inclusive innovation is 'a model to follow'

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[CAPE TOWN] A leading Indian scientist and policymaker is
calling on developing countries to adopt an "emerging paradigm" of
affordable, less complex and inclusive innovation to promote development and cut poverty.

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An Indian science leader is making the case for low-cost, less complex innovation

Models in healthcare are already demonstrating this innovation 'paradigm shift'

Inclusion is key: poor people must be included in innovation development

In a keynote presentation, he told the Conference on Innovation for Inclusion Development, organised alongside the 6th Conference on Micro Evidence on Innovation and Development (21–23
November) in Cape Town, South Africa, that the benefits of science must
reach the poorest people as part of new thinking to help tackle
poverty.

"Getting improved goods for less cost to more people while
eliminating social disharmony is key to achieving the MDGs," said
Mashelkar, who also chairs India's National Innovation Foundation.

He added that the paradigm shift must avoid technologically
advanced products with many features, and instead focus on efficient,
high-quality products that create livelihood opportunities for excluded
populations.

An example he gave is 3nethra, an eye-testing device developed
in India that can detect conditions such as cataracts, diabetes and
glaucoma.

"If we provide a hepatitis B vaccine that is 40 times cheaper,
cataract eye surgery 100 times cheaper, open-heart surgery 20 times
cheaper and an artificial foot 300 times cheaper, wealth and health for
all can be a reality," said Mashelkar. All these are not dreams and have
been done, he told the conference.

Parveen Arora, an advisor to India's department of science and technology, said innovation that supports local enterprises with skills development and finance is critical to innovative products for low-income customers.

He noted India's launch of the US$1 billion Inclusive
Innovation Fund, aimed at researchers who consult poor citizens on
innovations that could transform their lives. Aroraadded that putting inclusive innovation in educational and research training could be beneficial.

Anupam Khanna, chief economist at India's National Association
of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), said that technology could
transform his country's ability to provide basic services to the poor,
such as healthcare, education and banking.

For innovations to work, excluded people must be involved in
their development, stressed Fernando Santiago, senior programme at the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada.

"Rural people are smart and we do not engage them enough," he said.

Esperanza Lasagabaster, manager of an innovation, technology and entrepreneurship
global practice at the World Bank, added that although companies in
large emerging markets are beginning to develop innovations for
low-income markets, these are not yet aimed at the very poor.

She said research institutes should target the poor while encouraging more private sector investment in innovation programmes.

The conference was run by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) and South Africa's department of
science and technology.

This article has been produced by SciDev.Net's Sub-Saharan Africa desk.